Bubble-blowing device



Nov. 6, 1951 F. G. LUDWIG BUBBLE-BLOWING DEVICE 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 FiledJuly 1, 1947 INVENTOR. Frederic G L udw/q BYM Qbw- 'r ATTORNEYS Nov. 6,1951 Filed July 1, 1947 /0 v Ir 1/ 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVFNTOR. freder/t 6Ludw/q BYMM ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 6, 1951 2,574,117 "ZBUBBEE ginowrfieUE'VIGE Frederic GgLudvrig, Woodbridge, Conn. uis'fin'escib iiilyi;1947;s r'is1 0. 758,?1-1

ticin-arrester. v

Aindfig the objects of 'the presiit iiivefitioh are to provide a new andimproved -biikibie bliivdvicewhichcan besimply operatewthroiighmanipulation of a sin'gle operating eleniiit' such is a string, whichrequires "no air blowing pb'w-er pprsta means suchf as inoto'roperated-blbvvers, fans, o'r'the like, which fcan be operated withoutb'retingfany mess, which aifordsf-a great deal bf delight "and leasurein its bi'lbble'bldwifig operations; which is inexpensive to manufactureand which adjustable to"p'err'r1it the blowing -oifiltn bbles ofdifierent sizes.

"Various other "objects of the invention {will be apparent from therenewing parti'ciila'r description and from'an inspectionofthe'a'ccoi'npanying'drawin'gs, in which i I 7 Fig. 1 isa'side elevationof the-bubble blowing dev'iceembodying the present inventibnj'pa'rts 'b'eiiig shown broken away to'reveal theinterior' struct i're 'of s'aid'de'vice; I z Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the'bubble blowing 'device;Fig. 3 is a. detailbfam'odifi'ed'form "of orifice air blow'ii'igarrangemenvembo'dymg' "the present invention; and

"Fig; 4 is a iron Bubble blowing "device and shows in connectiontherewith means for adjiistin'g "thes'i'ze 'offt l'ie 'biibblesproduced.

'Refeirin'g' to Figs. 1 'and 2"of 'the diawiri'gfs, the bubble blowingdevice of the presenti vhtion comprises a, tower l0includifig'aniipis'tahdair ci'lindr I l' and ahd'od l2 cinsaid cylinder.Tliis'hood I2 is shown 'ihdoiiica1'fdrihalii ahniilar 'fiang'e '[3retained in the lipp'' -rjf theair cylinder "With'a "friction fit.'IheaiJr cylinder 'II is moiiiited 'oha b'ase "Which' in is secured toa'b'rack'et IGby-a'ny s'iiiijalcl e 'iiieans; as for examplefthe nailsl1. Thishiacket jfi may be mountedona wall or door [8 0111: sof -reachof a child byany suitable "means as iqi' example screwsZO. v{lime-cylinder IL-has near its lower end an orifice o r opening throughwhich-an airplasjt isejected forthe -formations -oi-the;bubb1e. This airblast 'is generated :by means -oi--apiston- 28 slidable in the aircylinder; and tending to gravitate towards -the }bottom" of; said:cylinder.

This piston 26 is raised by means of a flexible relaxancher a portions]:the

si'rider elment' 21: shown inthe form eta/string which passes overavg-hide staple 28 secured the' bfiackeflfi through the opening 29 "in'the dr I1 and over a 'pul1ey '30 -an'd is-securd ats end t'o th'ec'entrarpa'rt of s'aid piston, as for example, by astapIe Si. Thisstring -21 passes thiough an 'op'emngsz in thebase l5 a'h'd extenas 1Td'ownwa'rdly within easy reach a: 'achilcl;

The pulle y'30 comprises a =cylindricalmember, desirably-made ofwqodgand having end g'udgeons sauesnamy in the forin of nails'joii-rrialld in iii'a'nietric aily F opposite 'Wall Scti6ns of the ai'rcillin d'r H. -The-cehtral pa rt of thispiillyifl is fo'iined Witha-"-V- -'g'ro'ove 34 torcei'v'e "the striii'g 21.

'Attachedto'the loivve'r 'section of the air 'c'yliii'dr' H isthefilm---for'iiiing means 1 'c'omprisiii'g swan 36 secured to th'efOrWdfdedge of the base I 5 bya bracket 'gfl and shown of long narrow L shap'e.rh'is t'ank 36 is ad'apted'to cemam a; 'film' f )iliriiiig liq u'i d AWhich may be the usual 'sdap bubble forming'- solution. This tank 95 i-siiiaifitained "filled-by e, fountain or'r'eservoir fl comprising an"inverted container Having a neck 40 i i'tehding "into the upper hd orthe tank a d having an annnlar' grcove Al into which e;Jit iids-"With asnap fitj'th'e be'a'ded up e {edge mjsrihe ogte'r wan {43 at said tank.This peadwdge'f 42 may beffor'med 'by doubling over tiieinargihalpor'tion of the"tank WallM. In "m'anne'r", the-fountain reservoir orcontainer 3'8 issupported on"thetank 36,-can be removed 'thei'irom by"'siinplemanipulation 'for the puriio'sebf replenishment and'canbejiist'as simply snapped into'mou'hted invltd'pbs'itioh With "r'espeartothe tank. v v I The fountain arrangement just "des:cribe'd 'is fselffeeding. 7 When the "level of the liquid in theTa Iik 3'6'fal11s belowthe bottem' (if the'jreservoir nck '40, the liquid in 'the "reservoirjaa reeds j'iht'o th'vt'ankuhtil'the levelof the liquid in said't'airik' 'is 'f'e'stoi'ed'tothe level of the bOttOm oftli'e res'ri'loir neck 40. Since the reservoir 4|! is hermetically sealed, aminetank-'35 is open-at thetop; 'theatmos'phe'ric pressure acting o'ntheliquid in said tanlg willautomatically.-maintain t l-iehydraulicconditions between said tahk and said reservoir shown-Yin thedrawings. v;;Mo1inted ;for "operation 1113mm ofth'e orifice 2 5 isa film irame 50shown'f0rmed from a wire circularly coiled onlooped atone end -to deijpe saidirame-and; bent to define-- a crank; arm 5 l agsha ft fi; andan -ofifset crank section '53 at its other end. The shaft '52 extendsthrough 'the bottom of the air cylinder I I and is journalled in thewalls of said cylinder. For that purpose, the air cylinder II isprovided at its lower section with a pair of upwardly tapering notches54 open at their lower ends and formed at their upper ends with circulareyes 55 through which the shaft 52 extends. A block 56, desirably ofwood, fits into the lower end of the air cylinder I I and supports theshaft 52 in the eyes 55. This block 561s secured to the tower base I5,as for example; by means of the screw 51 and has a friction fit in theair cylinder II. This arrangement permits easy assembly of the lowersection ping the shaft 52 through the notches 54 and into the eyes 55and then slipping the block 56 into the lower end of the air cylinderII. A nail 58 string 21, the film frame 50 is restored in positionopposite the orifice 25 in preparation for the next bubble blowingoperation.

By means of the operation described, every time the string 21 isreleased, a bubble is blown and the film frame 56 subsequently dippedinto the tank 36 and. every time the string is pulled, the film frame 56with a film thereon is restored into position to receive a bubbleblowing blast and the air cylinder II is filled with air. In Fig. 3 isshown a modified construction which may be employed to make bubbleslarger than are permissible with the structure of Figs. 1 and 2. In thisform, there is disposed in the path of the air stream ejected from theorifice 25 a diffusing element 16 shown in the form of a member taperingin a direction opposite to the may then be employed to assure a fastconnection between the air cylinder and the block 56.

In order to hold the shaft 52 against endwise movement in the eyes 55,there is secured to said shaft on the outside of the air cylinder I Icollars in the form of washers 66. The section of the shaft 52 onopposite sides of each collar 66 is desirably pinched to retain saidcollar against movement along said shaft.

The crank wire end 53 carries a counterweight .6I by which the filmframe 50 is normally maintained in axial alignment with the opening 25in the full line position shown in Fig. 2.

The film frame 50 is adaptedto be dipped into the tank 36 to pick up afilm from the solution A therein. For that purpose, the shaft 52 has abend 65 in the interior of the air cylinder II serving as a crank armnormally extending obliquely upwardly under the influence of thecounterweight 6|. When the piston 26 is permitted to drop in the aircylinder II under its own weight, it engages the crank arm 65 andthereby rotates the shaft 52 counterclockwise (Fig. 2), so that the filmframe 56 dips into the solution A in the tank 36, as shown in dot anddash lines in Fig. 2. As the piston 26 is lifted in the air cylinder IIby a pull on the string 21, the shaft 52 under the influence of thecounterweight lil is rotated clockwise (Fig. 2), thereby raising thefilm frame 50 with a film thereon out of the tank 36 and into axialalignment with the orifice 25.

The piston 26 is raised in the air cylinder I I approximately to theposition shown in Fig. 1 and then permitted to drop suddenly. The airwhich has entered into the air cylinder I I through the orifice 25 isthen forcefully ejected from said cylinder through said orifice duringthe sudden down movement of the piston 26 and is projected againstthe'film frame 50, thereby causing the film thereon to be inflated, tobreak away from said frame and to form a bubble.

If desired, a heater 66 may be provided to heat the air in the aircylinder II and thereby to impart to the bubbles greater buoyancy. Thisheater 66 may be of the electric resistance type connected to powerlines 61 passing through an opening 69 in the base I5 and is mounted ina recess 68 which is formed in the block 56 and which opens into thelower end of the air cylinder II.

- After the piston 26 has dropped to the level of the upper edge of theorifice 25 and after the bubble has been blown, said piston engages thecrank arm bend 65 in the shaft 52 and starts tion A of the tank 36.During the uppermovement of the piston 26 caused by a pull on thedirection of air fiow and more specifically in the form of a conecoaxial with said orifice. This air diffusing cone 10 is mounted at theupper end of .a bracket arm 1I secured at its lower end to the innerwall of the tank 36.

As the air stream discharged from the orifice 25 passes over thediffusing cone 1!), it is flared out by said cone. The resulting flaringair stream striking the film on the film frame 50 blows a bubble largerthan that produced by the device of Figs. land 2. t t

In Fig. 4 is shown a modified form of device in which the size of thebubbles blown maybe adjusted. For that purpose, there is provided anadjusting band 13 embracing the air cylinder II with a friction fit andextending for more than around said cylinder. This band 13' is supportedbetween guides 15 and 16 secured to the air cylinder and has a pluralityof holes of dif- 'ferent sizes, three of such holes 11, 18 and 19 beingshown arranged in circumferential alignment. The hole 11 is coextensivein diameter with the orifice 25, the center hole 18 is of smallerdiameter while the last hole 19 is of smallest diameter. A mark 86 onthe band 13' on the bottom of each hole'11, 18 or 19 is adapted-toregister with a mark on the bottom band guide 16 to assure the coaxialalignment of any selective one of said holes with the orifice 25. Byturning the band 13 about the air cylinder II to bring any selected holeon said band in axial registry with the orifice 25, the effectivediameter of said orifice can be adjusted and the size of the bubblesblown correspondingly altered.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to aspecific embodiment, it is to be understood that it is not to be limitedthereto, but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely by thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. Abubble blowing device comprising an upstanding air cylinder havingan orifice, a piston in said cylinder adapted to drop therein by its ownweight, means including a control element for moving said pistonupwardly in said cylinder, said piston being adapted to force air fromsaid cylinder out through said orifice when said piston is moved in onedirection in said cylinder and being adapted to permit air to beadmitted into said cylinder when said piston is moved in'the oppositedirection, a film frame, a tank adapted to contain a film formingliquid, means supporting said film frame for movement into said tank andfor movement out of said'tank and into position opposite said orifice,in the pathof the stream of air discharged from said cylinder throughsaid orifice, and means correlatingthe movement of said piston in saidcylinder and the movement of said film frame in and out of said tank, tocause said film frame to dip into said tank and then move into positionopposite said orifice in time to receive the stream of air from saidorifice.

2. A bubble blowing device comprising an upstanding air cylinder havingan orifice near its lower end, a piston in said cylinder adapted to droptherein by its own weight, means including a flexible slender elementfor moving said piston upwardly in said cylinder upon a downward pull onsaid element, said piston being adapted to force air from said cylinderout through said orifice when said piston is dropped and being adaptedto permit air to be admitted through said orifice and into said cylinderwhen said piston is moved upwardly, a film frame, a tank adapted tocontain a film forming liquid, means supporting said film frame formovement into said tank and for movement out of said tank and intoposition opposite said orifice in the path of the stream of airdischarged from said cylinder through said orifice, and meanscorrelating the movement of said piston in said cylinder and themovement of said film frame in and out of said tank, to cause said filmframe to dip into said tank and then move into position opposite saidorifice in time to receive the stream of air from said orifice.

3. A bubble blowing device comprising an upstanding air cylinder, apiston in said cylinder, a film frame outside said cylinder, a shaftextending into said cylinder and having a crank in the path of downwardmovement of said piston, said film frame being attached to a laterallyextending arm of said shaft for rotation with said shaft about its axis,a tank outside said cylinder adapted to contain a film forming liquidand in position to receive said film frame as said shaft is rotated bythe action of said piston on said crank during downward movement of saidpiston, said cylinder having an orifice near the lower section thereofthrough which air is discharged from said cylinder as said piston movesdownwardly, and means for moving said film frame about the axis of saidshaft and out of said tank into registry with said orifice as saidpiston is moved upwardly, and means for moving said piston upwardly.

4. In a bubble blowing device, the combination comprising an aircylinder having a discharge orifice, a piston operable in said aircylinder, a wire having a shaft section journalled in the walls of saidair cylinder and extending through said cylinder, and a section at oneend outside 5 a crank inside said cylinder, means for urging said shaftin a direction to bring said film frame in a position opposite saidorifice and said crank in the path of movement of said piston, said filmframe being moved away from said position as said piston engages saidcrank and thereby rotates said shaft, and a tank adapted to contain afilm forming liquid and into which said film frame dips as said filmframe is moved away from said position.

5. A bubble blowing device comprising an upstanding air cylinder havingan orifice near the bottom thereof, a piston in said cylinder, a tankoutside said cylinder adapted to contain a film forming liquid, a filmframe outside said cylinder movable into dipping position with respectto said tank and out of said position into bubble blowing positionopposite said orifice, means urging said film frame toward said bubbleblowing position, and means operable by the downward movement of saidpiston after it reaches the position in which a bubble is blown formoving said film frame into dipping position.

6. In a bubble blowing device, the combination comprising an aircylinder having an air discharge orifice, a film frame opposite saidorifice, means for discharging bubble blowing air through said orificeand against said frame, and means for adjusting the efiective size ofsaid orifice to adjust the size of the bubbles formed, and comprising aband embracing said air cylinder around said orifice and having a seriesof holes of different sizes, said band being slidable around saidcylinder to bring any one of said holes in register with said orifice,and thereby alter the effective diameter of said orifice.

FREDERIC G. LUDWIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS

